ministry here on Ometepe has been exhausting in all aspects but it’s been the best kind of exhaustion. the Lord has been revealing himself to me in ways I could have never guessed. From squeezing limes to digging holes I have allowed the Spirit to move through me & the result is joy. Choosing the attitude of a servant is never comfortable because it requires sacrifice; & just as my sweet Savior laid down his life and gave so graciously a gift I don’t deserve, the choice to choose servant-hood brings others a sliver closer to that same Savior.
We start the mornings with breakfast (beans and rice are almost always at every meal), and then we are split into small teams and are sent into different areas to serve for the day such as the garden, kitchen, & farm. We work until lunchtime and depending on the day, we go back to the jobs after lunch again. Some days there are kids that will come for the afternoon and we will play sports, sing worship and hang out with them. After dinner we have team time at which we have been sharing testimonies and giving feedback. Most nights I’ve stayed up playing spicy UNO, played other card games or thrown dance parties. Ministry has been extremely humbling. Laying down my selfishness and unwilling attitude at the foot of the cross has been something the Lord is teaching me to do every single day. I’ve found within the moments that I begin to let those worldly things spill into my mind, the second I give those to Jesus I feel freedom. Sometimes that looks like finding joy in dusting the ceiling, or sweeping an area a hundred times because the winds continually blows everything right back to where I began. Maybe for you that looks like finding more of His presence in your job or school or even at home. But during that time, I’ve chosen not to conform to the patterns of the world I left behind, but live in the freedom of Christ where my joy abounds. Intercessory prayer has become my favorite thing during the day— a way for me to hold my hands open with God in one hand and someone else I’m praying for in the other & raise them towards Heaven with love and deep sincerity. I am praying for everyone at home continually & encourage you, dear friends, to let the Lord intervene in your life through surrender and prayer. Ministry is life & life is ministry no matter if you’re in a foreign country or sitting in your house in Minnesota.
